Many individuals suffer from some form of enuresis or involuntary urination. Pediatric enuresis is especially prevalent, such as nocturnal bedwetting or diurnal involuntary urination. Pediatric enuresis is one of the most prominent chronic children's health conditions, affecting over 200 million children worldwide. Enuresis can present physical and psychological health concerns for a suffering individual.
Current treatments for enuresis involve either drug treatment or the use of enuresis alarms. Drug treatment temporarily blocks urine/bladder function and are associated with high rates of relapse and severe side effects including seizures and cardiotoxicity. Diurnal alarm systems provide alerts based on static intervals throughout the day, reminding a user to either urinate or perform a self-check for the need to urinate. Nocturnal alarm systems rely on moisture sensors to detect the presence of excess moisture. These systems are generally difficult to use, prone to breakage, and not kid-friendly.
Nocturnal alarm systems generally rely on unwieldy, unreliable, and uncomfortable detection technology. For example, some alarm systems incorporate a moisture sensor into a bed to provide an alarm when the bed has been sufficiently wetted by involuntary urination. Such systems, however, only trigger upon the release of substantial amounts of fluid, providing notice to the suffering individual or caregiver only after substantial urination has occurred. Thus, any remedial actions taken in response to an alarm can only occur a substantial amount of time after urination begins, and thus individuals and caregivers are relegated to only responding after involuntary urination occurs.
Some alarm systems rely on large sensors attached to an individual's undergarments and relay data by a wired or wireless connection. The large sensors can be uncomfortable for a user, can detach or be inadvertently removed during sleep, and can require placement at locations distant from the source of the urination. Wired connections can hinder a user's ability to sleep and can cause potential tangling hazards. Existing sensors using wireless connections require large batteries and circuitry to last throughout the night.
There is a need to provide improved tools for combating enuresis to caregivers and individuals suffering from enuresis.